The electronic devices of actor Arjun Rampal and his girlfriend, Gabriella Demetriades, which were previously seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with a drug probe, will be returned as per a court order, Bar and Bench reported on Friday.
According to the report, a special court handling Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases in Mumbai ordered the NCB to return all mobile phones, laptops, and other electronic items seized from Rampal and Demetriades.
The order stated that Rampal and Demetriades had moved the Special NDPS Court seeking the release of the seized device as they required them for their personal and professional use. Rampal also stated that a lot of professional data was saved on the pen drive and the hard disk of the laptop.
Agreeing to this plea, Special Judge VV Vidwan concluded that as the investigation of the devices had been completed and it will take considerable time to conduct the trial in the case, the seized items should be returned.
The judge also noted in his order that while the Investigating Officer seized the mobiles of the duo, the prescribed procedure as per the provisions of the NDPS Act was not followed as there was no formal seizure or confiscation of bank accounts as required by law.
According to the Bar and Bench report, Special Public Prosecutor Atul Sarpande appearing for the agency said that while a charge sheet has already been filed, the investigation is not complete as far as financial transactions are concerned.
The drug probe by NCB was started after actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14, 2020. Several celebrities like Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh, Bharti Singh, and Arjun Rampal’s sister Komal Rampal, among others, were brought in for questioning at the time.
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The NCB had also arrested Agisilaos Demetrias, the brother of actor Arjun Rampal’s partner Gabriella, on October 17, 2020. A few weeks later, on November 9, the NCB had raided Rampal’s residence and recovered some medications.
On the work front, Rampal recently finished shooting for his upcoming action-thriller Dhaakad, which features Kangana Ranaut as a spy.